


Hell and Back

by mutiepatootie



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Graphic Description, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 22:59:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18291950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mutiepatootie/pseuds/mutiepatootie
Summary: A slow start, that will lead to a big finish. Tim becomes unraveled at the departure of his best friend and teammate Athena, and is now left with his biggest paranoid nightmare.





	Hell and Back

I feel a pang in my chest when I fully process what she had just said. I knew it was going to happen eventually, but it still hurts.

"You... you're leaving?" I try not to sound too upset, I know it would just hurt that much worse.

Athena sighs. "Yes. I filled my contract with Jack, and now that I see his true colors... I don't want to be anywhere near him. Who knows who he'll kill next? I won't let it be me." She closes her eyes for a moment before putting a hand on my shoulder and looking into my eyes. "You should try to leave too, Tim. You've seen what he can do, I don't want it to happen to you next."

I give her a sad smile and shake my head. "I can't. My... my life us in his hands now. I signed my life away to him, literally. The only way I'm getting out of here is if I die, and you know Jack wouldn't even allow that." I sigh and pull Athena into a hug. I thought she would pull away, but instead she surprises me by hugging back. "Take care of Springs. You need her just as much as she needs you. And... Pickle. Tell Pickle I'll miss him." I start grasping for whatever comes to my mind, just to keep the conversation going as long as possible. Athena is my best friend, and I don't know if I'm ever going to see or hear from her again.

She pulls away and nods. "Of course." Athena begins walking out of my makeshift apartment Jack had put me in, but stops before she opens the door. "Don't die. I know it seems stupid to keep on living like this, but... I want to see you in the future. And you better be alive for my wedding, Tim."

I chuckle softly. "I... I'll be there. Full suit and tie. Just for you." I go quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say. "Don't ECHO me. I don't want Jack tracing the signal back to where ever you end up. I want you safe. ... Goodbye, Athena."

She stands in silence for a moment before lowering her head and walking out, without another word.

After she's gone, I go to my room and lie down. I must had fallen asleep because I wake up to an ECHO call from Jack. When I answer, he doesn't even let me speak. "Get to my office. Now."

He hangs up before I can respond and I sigh. He's pissed about Athena, I can tell. But why does he need me? He had told me, Wilhelm and Nisha to take off and enjoy the next few days before he gives us new assignments. I wonder if the others were called... I begrudgingly sit up in my bed, then stand after a few minutes and begin to leave. I had fallen asleep in my clothes, so I just tidy them and smooth them out as I walk down the halls, as well as my hair. My thoughts swarm me about what he could possibly want from me.

As I open up the door to Jacks office, I notice several things. A fire was burning in a small contained area by the chairs, with something resting inside of it. A metal rod, but I couldn't see the end of it in the flames. I shrugged it off as I walked inside. Nisha and Wilhelm were standing by Jacks desk, Nisha sitting on the edge of the desk and Wilhelm standing with his arms crossed. As I walked up, I noticed Jack... Smiling. He doesn't seem phased by Athenas' leave, at least on the surface. His newfound masked face makes the smirk even more sinister. I make my way to his desk and stand between the other two vault hunters.

"You wanted to see me?" I stand with my arms at my sides, looking down at Jack, whom is sitting in his chair with his feet proped up on the desk itself.

"Yes, I did. You've heard the news, right? About Athena leaving? You must have, she came to see you beforehand." I swallow hard. How did he know she came to see me? Are there cameras in my room? "But that doesn't matter. She fulfilled her contract, I don't need to pay her anymore, no harm no foul. Whatever." I sigh, relieved. "But." Guess the relief was short lived. "You know, I heard what you said. You _signed your life away_ to me? _Really_? That... that's wrong, kid. I **gave** you your life. You weren't **shit** until I got you. What were you gonna be without me, huh? Some broke kid with an _English degree_?"

I feel my heart racing. The best bet is to just sit here and take it, arguing will just make it worse. "I'm sorry, sir-"

"You're damn right you're sorry. But that doesn't mean shit, does it? You-" he stands and points his finger in my face. " **You** need to be taught a lesson on humility."

Nisha stands from the desk, then she and Wilhelm grab me by the arms. "What- what's going on?"

Jack chuckles as he walks to where the fire is, and the other vault hunters drag me with him. "You see, you're my body double, right? My doppelganger, an exact replica of me. And you can't be walking around looking like who I used to be. So we're gonna fix that."

My breath catches in my throat as they push me onto my knees. "No! No, I can just wear the mask, right? I'm never going to take it off, you don't need to do this, it's just wasteful-" I feel tears well up in my eyes.

"Ah ah ah, kid, I took it just fine. It hurt horribly, sure, but you can take it too. Besides, you need to learn your lesson, right?" I feel Wilhelm grab my hair and pull my head back so I'm looking straight at Jack. Jack grabs the iron rod out of the fire, a bright orange vault symbol at the end of it. "Just don't move, and we won't have to do it twice, okay? Now sit still."

I feel tears running down my face as the red hot brand gets closer, feeling the heat radiating from it. "Wait, **WAIT** -" Without hesitation, he bears the brand down onto my face, pressing it into my eye and skin.

I wake up in the infirmary some time later. I can only see out of one eye, the other obviously blind now, as well as being covered over with gauze. I look at the clock next to my bed. How much time has passed since I was in the office? Days? A week? I have no answer. I must have blacked out, because I don't remember being brought here. The pain under the gauze feels immense and I can feel my heartbeat in my skin still. It feel as bad as, if not worse than, a gunshot to the sternum.

I try to sit up, but suddenly a voice comes on unprompted in my ECHO communicator. I grab the small piece and place it into my ear- it's the similar size of a hearing aid. "Don't move so fast. You still need to heal." A feminine voice talks through a bit of static.

"Athena...? I told you not to contact me, who knows if Jack could find you-"

"I'm not Athena. I'm just... someone. It doesn't matter who. Jack can't trace this signal, I made sure of it. Do not let him know that we have spoken. I don't think he would be happy about that."

I feel confused, but I just nod. "Well, whoever you are... how did you know I was moving? And why did you stop me?"

"I can see on the cameras all across Helios and Pandora. I was wondering when you'd wake up, it's been a while now... 8 days to be exact. You shouldn't move too quickly, it could make you feel worse. Continue to rest, you need it."

I sigh softly and lie back down. "8... 8 days? Jesus fucking Christ... he's going to be so angry..."

"No, he won't. Not for you resting. And if he is, I'll talk sense into him. He caused this, and he cannot control the human body's need to rest after such extreme measures."

I feel even more confused after they say this. "You'll... talk to him? You know him?"

I hear a sigh at the other end. "I... shouldn't have said that. You shouldn't know any more than that, he would kill you if you did, especially if he wasn't the one to tell you. Just forget what I've said."

I nod to myself with my eyes closed. "Okay. Okay I'll just... try to forget? How can I even do that?"

They don't answer.

"Shi- shoot. Jacks coming into the room, I have to leave. Remember, we didn't talk and you don't know me."

Before I can say anything, the line goes dead and Jack walks into the small room I'm in.

"Hey cupcake, how's it goin'?" I don't answer. He draws closer, now standing right at my bedside. I continue to stare at the ceiling, but he ignores me. "You uh. Took quite a spill there, huh? Passed right out into Wilhelms arms. You're lucky he didn't drop you, would have been a hell of a lot worse."

I continue to be quiet, only flicking my eye to him once or twice as he speaks. He reaches out and grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him, then takes his other hand and grabs the edge of the paper tape holding my gauze in place. "N-no wait, it still hurts-"

He doesn't pay any attention to me and peels it off, along with the patches of gauze. The cotton sticks to the wound as he pulls, the skin on my face making a wet sound as the protective layer is removed. I grip the bed sheets to deal with the pain, gritting my teeth and shutting my eyes tight. He throws the pads onto the floor and lets go of my chin, smirking to himself as I open my eyes. He grabs a hand mirror and nearly shoves it into my hands, forcing me to look at myself. I cringe as I look into the mirror. The scar is the exact same as his, other than being radioactively blue. There's swelling along the edges of the sear, and the entirety is scabbing up, somewhat wet skin nearly falling off. My left eye has turned completely white, blinded. I noticed new things though- 3 hinges added to my face, on the temples and chin. Probably to hold the mask in place, like him. I close my eyes and lie my head back, sighing.

"You see that, Timtams? That is why you don't fuck with me. You hear what I say, you do it. You talk shit about me again, and it'll be even worse next time. You understand?" His voice is menacing as he speaks, obviously trying to strike fear into me.

I nod softly, feeling my will begin to break. "Yes... yes sir."

Jack moves away from me, putting the mirror to the mobile table again. "Good. After the doctors clear you, you'll be back home. Should take another few days, at max."

I nod again. "Okay."

He winks at me as he begins to leave. "See you soon, pumpkin."

As he closes the door, I roll my eyes and roll onto my side. A couple of days pass of reading things on the ECHO, physical therapy, and speaking with this mysterious person. I want to say they're a woman based on their voice, but I decide not to jump to that conclusion just yet. After a few prolonged chats with the limited nurses and doctors that were allowed to see me, I learned that I can only see out of my left eye if I get an ECHO eye inplant, and also that Jack will not reward me with such a pleasure. The word "not allowed" has been thrown around a lot, and it's begun to bother the hell out of me. I feel like a child again, only this time I'm not even allowed to go to the bathroom without special permission and assistance.

3 days pass from Jacks visit. I hear from the nurses that I still have a bit to go before I can put on the mask, because if I put it on so soon, the scabbing will be ripped off of my face and cling to the inside of the mask. The mystery voice also points this out to me. They say that Jack is working on something to alleviate this problem, though. I'm not sure how much I trust them, but they were also right about Jack coming in just before he did, so I don't know how much faith I can give or take away just yet.

As I'm speaking with this person, their line goes dead suddenly. I hear static when I try to flip to their channel, and nothing else. Suddenly the door is pulled open; Jack standing there with something(s?) in his hand. I also notice a ring on his right index finger; something I hadn't noticed before. It must be new, because he hasn't made me wear anything similar just yet. It makes my stomach turn, thinking of the possibility that Jack and Nisha have gotten rings for each other, or even gotten engaged.

Jack pulls me out of my thoughtful state with a few snaps of his fingers in front of my face. "Wake up, dumdum. I'm standing right here and you haven't said a single thing." He looks impatient, putting a single fist on his hip.

"Uh, yeah, sorry... Got lost in my thoughts. What's, uh... what's that you got?" I gesture to the ring in general, but he ignores the question and shows what he had inside his hand instead of on it.

"This is your new mask, Timtam." He holds up two small metal plates with both his hands. I give him a small confused look, making him sigh in frustration. "Look, ya just-"

He puts the metal down and carefully peels off my bandages once again, making me hold my breath and take a fist full of the blanket. He places the bandages down, then hands me the mirror he left there the other day. "Hold this up so you can see what I'm doing."

I nod, holding it up and far away enough to see the steps he's taking, though I'm not sure what he's doing yet. I've learned the hard way that it's best to just listen to him and do what he says, within moral stands.

He picks up the pieces and shows them to me, holding the up one at a time. "This is left, and this is right. It won't come up if you don't put them on correctly, and just might give you a little shock. So pay attention."

I nod once again. He slowly places them on the sides of my face, right before my ear, like a pair of sideburns. Suddenly, a grid appears, and a mask just like Jacks digistructs over my face.

Jack stands back, crossing his arms, almost like his is admiring his work. "Go on, move your face around. Make sure that it doesn't glitch in places and moves with your facial movements."

He sits in the guest chair and leans back, watching me. I look back to the mirror and open my mouth, reach up and move my nose with my hand, and continue doing such. I notice how the mask looks ever so slightly different than Jacks- the lines go straight from the hinge on my right temple, to my left one, down to the metal plate, to the hinge on the chin, then back around the other way. The mask looks so realistic, almost leaving me in awe. It's flexible like real skin, and even goes over my blinded eye, coloring the pupil back to the green color and moving with my own movements.

"Uh... this is... really cool, to be honest. Who made this?" I put the mirror down and look to Jack, who begins acting comedicly offended.

"What? You wouldn't believe that I did it myself? You know, I used to be an engineer for this place. Designed a few guns, even. My wife had-" he pauses for a moment, looking down at the floor before getting back on topic, clearly not looking to talk about that. "Yeah, I made it. I was looking on how to do it before we did that, because this mask is kind of a bummer sometimes, y'know? Just... gets a little... moist I guess." He shrugs, putting his right hand on the armrest of the chair. His silver and blue ring stands out against his darker skin, almost calling out.

"When... when did you get that?" I point to the ring again, but this time he answers.

He holds his hand up, looking at it. "I've... had this for a long time. Since I was 20, actually." He goes quiet for a moment. "Married the love of my life. And had her ripped from me too soon." He speaks in a barely audible tone, and I know that I struck a sore nerve. I drop it quickly.

I pull my legs over the side of the bed, sitting upright. "So, you being here means it's time for me to go back to my apartment, right?"

Jack shakes his head lightly. "No, not to your apartment. Me, Nisha and Wilhelm moved your stuff into your permanent residence- my house."

I'm stricken for a moment, at a loss for words. "Your- your house? What do you mean?"

He sits up a bit. "Well, it would be stupid for us not to live together. If people see us coming in or out of different residences, it'll break the illusion. There would be no need for you to be a body double, you'd just be a suped-up, uh... task-doer? I don't know. But you get the jist. Just wouldn't make sense, Timtams."

"Stop calling me that." I say it without a thought, as if out of reflex.

Jack stares at me, quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "You know, you're right. I've been meaning to say this- no one should be calling you by that name. _'Tim.'_ Such a... **stupid** name, isn't it? So don't worry, I won't say it anymore. Neither will anyone else. Ever." He stands up from the armchair. "And if you tell anyone, you won't have to be worrying about them knowing your name. Because you'll be more worried about when they die, and what I'll do to you next." I felt a jump in my chest as he spoke, but... it felt best not to fight it. It would just make life harder... less manageable.

I have to accept this now.


End file.
